Orthodox Theology and Post-Schism Western Theology

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY AND POST-SCHISM WESTERN THEOLOGY: SOME IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES — A Catechism.

A growing number of traditional Anglican and traditional Roman Catholic clergy are being drawn to the Orthodox Church. In a recent interview, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch (Primate) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, said: “The Anglican Church has broken apart, and many older clergymen are converting to Orthodoxy. We receive them. We ordain them so that they can serve as Orthodox pastors. Their flocks follow their conversion to Orthodoxy. I constantly get appeals from them, to receive them and ordain them. Of course, we prepare them first. But when we start to work with them, we realize that they have already studied a great deal about Orthodox Christianity.”

Much the same can be said of Roman Catholicism. The Second Vatican Council has been described as the French Revolution in the Church, and it has led to a massive exodus of Roman Catholics. If former Roman Catholics were a denomination they would be the second largest denomination in the United States. Large numbers of tradition-minded Roman Catholics have entered the Orthodox Church and a growing number of traditional Roman Catholic priests are investigating Orthodox Catholicism.

While the Orthodox Church shares much in common with both traditional Anglicanism and traditional Roman Catholicism, there are also some important differences. These differences are in areas where Western forms of Christianity have changed theologically since the Great Schism of 1054, and the Norman Conquest of England of 1066.

Much has happened in Western Christendom in the thousand years that it has been separated from the Orthodox Church, including the Renaissance, Reformation, Counter Reformation, the rise of liberal-modernism, and the tragic splintering of Western Christianity into thousands of competing and squabbling denominations.

Over the past two thousand years the Orthodox Church has continued to hold firmly to the Faith and Order of the undivided Church of the first millennium. The Orthodox Church is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in matters of Faith and Morals, earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), and committed to the Canon of St. Vincent of Lerins that defines the Catholic Faith as that which has been believed, “everywhere, always and by all.” To become Orthodox means to return to the Faith and Order of the undivided Church, — without addition or diminution.

Inquiring into a new Church can be unsettling. We tend to be comfortable where we are, even though we may be unhappy and know in our hearts that we should be somewhere else. Yet, it can be difficult to think of leaving our comfort zone. There are a lot of uncertainties about entering a new Church, there are new (really ancient) things to learn, and necessary adjustments to make. That is why this Study Guide was written — to help inquiring Western clergymen.

We want to answer some of the questions you may have up front, and to help you to understand that the Orthodox Church is the original Church — the one Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; that it continues to hold the Faith of the “undivided” Church, and that the Orthodox Church is the home that you have been longing for.

Trying to understand and embrace Orthodox Christianity without recognizing and correcting some important post-Great Schism doctrinal misconceptions is like trying to put square pegs into round holes. So it is important to take a closer look at some of the differences in theology and practice between the Orthodox Church and the post-Great Schism West. Because of the rule “lex orandi, lex credendi,” theology and practice are bound together. They can be distinguished, but not separated. While this Study Guide is not exhaustive, it does address ten important differences. They are:

This paper will briefly cover each of these ten differences between Orthodox and post-Schism Western theology and practice, and will have links that will provide more detailed information. Soon you will be putting round pegs into round holes, and will feel more comfortable as you inquire into the Western Rite Orthodox Church and begin your own journey to the fullness of the Apostolic Faith and into the Ark of Salvation — the Orthodox Church.

The catechism above was provided by Fr. Victor Novak is the rector of Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Ralston, Nebraska and a member of the Western Rite Advisory Board of the Western Rite Communities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

Please Note: Each of the above differences is a separate page under the 'Theology' heading.

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